Monday, 27 September 2010

"A space odyssey awaits this October as W5 welcomes the return of the Emerald Garrison, Ireland's Star Wars costuming club, for Invasion Belfast III.Following the unprecedented success of 2008 and 2009, Invasion Belfast III promises even more characters, even more photo opportunities and even more sci-fi fun!

It's been more than 30 years since "Star Wars" first exploded onto our screens, but the swashbuckling sci-fi films from writer-director George Lucas have left a legacy no other blockbuster has surpassed. Star Wars is a story that bridges the generation gap and delights parents and children in equal measures.

A whole month of Star Wars fun begins on 2 October with a mega weekend of fantastic photo opportunities offering visitors the chance to meet over 50 costumed characters. With a legion of Storm Troopers as well as Darth Vader, Tuscan Raiders, Jedi Knights, Bounty Hunters, Clonetroopers and even Wookies battling it out for your attention you will be spoilt for choice as to where to point your camera.

W5’s special guest this year is Jeremy Bulloch, who played Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Jeremy will be available all weekend to sign autographs* as well as answer questions in a live Lecture Theatre Q&A session.*Please note that Jeremy charges a fee for photographs and autographs.

If that’s not enough, this year Level 4’s exhibition space will play host to a fan-built Star Wars Props & Models Exhibition including cloned props & replicas carefully crafted by Emerald Garrison which will run from 2nd October - 7th November 2010

These lovingly recreated life-size Star Wars movie props will be on display for six weeks and simply have to be seen to be believed. Before the advent of CGI and animation George Lucas used traditional materials such as MDF, metal and paint to portray a world full of grime and technology that looks like it has been used for years, unlike the sleek, futuristic world typical of earlier science fiction films. In interviews, George Lucas tells of rubbing his new props with dirt to make them look weatherworn. It is this type of minute attention to detail that Emerald Garrison will be bringing to W5.Included in the display is a Scout Walker (AT-ST), Speeder Bikes, Cantina Band stage featuring Han Solo in carbonite, a Sith Speeder and the absolutely awe-inspiring life-size Y-Wing Starfighter. As well as these large scale props the fan-built display includes replica character busts, helmets, and weapons.

According to Adrian Lutton Head of Exhibitions and Design at W5 “We are offering Invasion Belfast III - the exhibition, the lecture theatre and photo opportunities completely FREE with admission to W5. Furthermore we are keeping the exhibition of replica props open for the month of October which will allow more people the opportunity to see the craftsmanship and dedication of the enthusiasts at Emerald Garrison. In this climate when people are increasingly aware of the costs of a family day out, W5 is offering a fantastic event that caters for fans of all ages - families and Star Wars aficionados alike.”

A visit to W5 this October is an absolute must for all fans of the Star Wars movies. October is devoted to all things Jedi. So fans of the force unite, grab your lightsabre and may the force be with you.

Notes:• Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRDDBSYCxl4 for a taste of last year’s event

• The Emerald Garrison is a Star Wars costuming club that brings together enthusiasts from all over the world who enjoy celebrating the Star Wars movies through the wearing of Stormtrooper, Clonetrooper and other Star Wars armour. Emerald Garrison professionalism and dedication to extremely high costuming standards have resulted in their attending some of the largest events ever held in the U.K including the Donington Download Music Festival, the Leeds 02 Music Festival and appearing on stage with numerous rock acts. Visit www.irelandgarrison.com for more information

• The cultural influence of the six "Star Wars" films, plus the novels, comics, television shows, games, toys, spoofs and documentaries linked with "Star Wars," is such that, in the 2001 United Kingdom census, some 390,000 people stated their religion as Jedi, making it the fourth largest religion surveyed.

• Jeremy Bulloch is best known as the bounty hunter Boba Fett in the original Star Wars trilogy. Bulloch also played a second role in the saga, that of as an unnamed Imperial officer in The Empire Strikes Back, his only non-masked appearance. He also did the voice for Captain Colton in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith"

Sunday, 26 September 2010

So not the greatest of Star Wars comics these but it's every issue in one handy collection. At one point these comics attempt to explain why C-3PO has one silver leg in the original trilogy but in the next issue he gets his leg changed back gold again so I'm not sure these stories really add anything to the canon.

A Quarren X-wing pilot from the Rogue Squadron comic books. As a Quarren, Nrin had a natural intolerance for fellow pilot Ibtisam, a Mon Calamari, that eventually boiled to the point that they *spoiler* fell for each other, Ibtisam action figure post coming soon...

Tuesday, 21 September 2010

I picked up this epic figure on holiday in Barcelona last year, I remember after I bought it we went to check out what the Sagrada Familia looked like at night, by the time I got back to the hotel I'd lugged it on at least four different subway trains, all the while chuckling like a hutt.

On the far right of the above image you can see the Rancor keeper, Malakili. The Rancor came with the Luke action figure and yes the bone does fit in the Rancor's jaw!

If you've been following this blog at all you'll have figured out I'm what you call a loose collector as in I don't keep my figures on the cards. however these three are special in that they're not only Star Wars collectibles but they're also Disney collectibles and they come directly from Disney Land Paris. Above is Mickey Mouse as Luke Skywalker.

Above this text is Minnie Mouse as Princess Leia, the card is quite creased just above the bubble but its still a Disney/Star Wars cross over so I'll do my best to keep it in the best condition I can. Below is Goofy as Darth Vader.

Wednesday, 15 September 2010

A few days since I posted Wullf Yularen from ANH I thought I should update with the younger Yularen as he appears in the TCW series. Another figure that comes with a table as an accessory, kind of goes against the 'action' part of action figure.

Monday, 13 September 2010

Commander Gree (trooper in the centre with silver helmet and macrobinoculars)is the leader of Luminara's 41st Elite clone troopers aka Green Company. To the right of Gree is a heavy trooper with a massive blaster cannon that's a proper nightmare to get the figure to hold properly.

Behind Gree are two AT-RTs painted in green camouflage complete with AT-RT drivers. These toys are battery powered and actually 'walk' when turned on.

Jedi Master Luminara Unduli with her padawan Barriss Offee and a couple of members of Green Company. Luminara and Bariss first appeared in AOTC and have made a few appearances in TCW series. Barriss was also the main character in Michael Reeve's Medstar duology.

From left to right it's a phase I clone trooper, Luminara, Barriss and a TCW style clone trooper.

It's the game itself were Republic Commando started. In the game you play as RC1138 aka Boss the leader of Delta Squad. The game starts with you being dumped in the middle of the Battle of Geonosis, then a mission on a deserted Star Destroyer and finally a mission to prep the way for Yoda's invasion of Kashyyk. The game plays like an arcadey version of Rainbow Six where the player can give commands to his squad mates but the whole thing plays out at a much faster pace than the Tom Clancy games.

Originally from the video game of the same name these are Republic Commandos. Specially engineered clone troopers for spec ops. On the left is Theta from the one of Republic Commando comic. In the middle is Fi from Omega Squad and one of the main characters in Karen Traviss's Republic Commando novel series. On the right is another member of Omega Squad, this time in the black night ops armor, this trooper is the same role as Fi and may well be the same character, however I prefer to think of him as Corr who serves as Fi's replacement in the later books.

Jedi Master Even Piell appears briefly at the end of TPM, he is a member of the Lannik species, for a while there were theories that this was also the race of Master Yoda however this is not the case and Yoda's (and Yaddle's) race is still a mystery.

A couple of weeks ago I posted the stylized TCW version of the Super Battle Droid, today it's the live action version. Interesting to me how the figure subtly changes depending on which pack or which figure line it came from, second from the left varies so much it's a totally different colour..

Another character from the Death Star conference table, in this scene Yularen is in a non-speaking role however the character has since become a key player in TCW as the main admiral assigned to Anakin Skywalker and the 501st legion.

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